A New Snapshot of Multinational Firms

Worldwide employment by U.S. multinational companies increased 0.5 percent in 2010 to 34.0 million workers, with increases in both the United States and abroad, new numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show.

Employment in the United States by U.S. parent companies increased 0.1 percent to 23.0 million workers. That contrasted with a 0.6 percent decrease in total private-industry employment in the United States. The employment by U.S. parents accounted for roughly one-fifth of total U.S. employment in private industries.

Abroad, employment by the majority-owned foreign affiliates of U.S. multinational companies increased 1.5 percent to 11.0 million workers.

Worldwide capital expenditures by U.S. multinational companies increased 3.9 percent in 2010 to $621 billion. Capital expenditures in the United States by U.S. parent companies increased 3.3 percent. Capital expenditures abroad by their majority-owned foreign affiliates increased 5.5 percent.

Employment in the United States by majority-owned U.S. affiliates of foreign multinational companies decreased 1.0 percent in 2010 to 5.2 million workers. U.S. affiliates accounted for 4.7 percent of U.S. private industry employment in 2010, the same share as in 2009.